Kyđing ov đe Selfstandingnis ov đe Feròaned Stæts ov Americka
In Congress, July 4th, 1776 Ðe Oanmood Kyđing ov đe Selfstandingness ov đe Feròaned Stæts ov Americka Hwen in đe flow ov happenings ov mankynd, it bekums needful for a folk to loosen đe politickal bands which hav linked đem wiđ anođer, and to tæk on among đe strengths ov đe earth the sundered and elyk standing to which đe laws of Nætyur and Nætyurs God beryghten đem, a seemly aghtingov đe myndings ov mankynd kalls for đem to mæk known đe sæks hwich spur đem on to offsundering. We hold đees trûths to be selfunderstood đat all men ar mæd elyk in wurth, đat đey ar gifted by đeir mæker wiđ wis unbereavly ryghts, đat among đees ryghts ar lyf, freedum and đe seeking after happiness, đat to siker đees ryghts steerschips ar set up among men, getting đeir ryghtful walds by leav ov đe befolking. Đat hwenever eny kynd ov steerschip bekums harmful to đees ends it is đe ryght ov đe folk to wend or kast it of, and to set up a kynd ov steerschip laying its groundwurk upon such groundlaws and dyghting its strengths in such a way as to đem schall seem moast lykli to bring about đeir sikerhed and happiness. Wisdum, indeed will forbid đat eny long-standing steerschips be wended on lyght and fleeting grounds; and it follows đat all belivnis hath schown đat mankynd is moar lykli to thoal hwyl evils ar thoalsum đan to ryght đemselvs by doing away wiđ things to hwich đey ar woant. But hwen along đe lyn ov skæđs and onslaghts, dryving without halt after đe sæm end it schows a mynt to bring đem under đe yoak ov an utter dwanglordschip, it is đeir ryght, it is đeir beholdenness, to throw off such a steerschip, and to afford new ofweers for đeir sikerhed in đe tokumst. Such has been đe longmynded tholing ov đe colonies; and such is nou đe need đat pusches đem to wend đeir former fræmwurks ov steerschip. Đe history ov đe sitting King of Great Britten is a history ov ongoing skæđs and myghtgrabs, all having as đeir outryght end đe staddling ov a fullkummen Tyranny over đees stæts. To bewys đis, let givens be laid befoar an openmynded wurld. He has wiđheld his yea-saying to laws which ar đe moast hoalsum and needful for đe allimean welbeing. He has forbidden his stewards to bear out laws of looming and thringing weightiness, unless hung up in đeir undertæking till his yea-seying should be gotten; and hwen so hung up, he has utterly forsæken giving hearing đearto. He has wiđheld bearing out ođer laws for đe good ov great swađs of folk, unless đoas folk wuld forsæk đe ryght ov foarstanding in the lawmæking gađering, a ryght having unwurđenly meaning for đem and thretening to tyrants only. He has kalld togeđer lawmæking-bodies at steds unwont, unbehaghly, and far frum đe wærhous ov đeir open writs, for đe loan sæk ov tyring đem into bowing to his stiktlings. He has unbanded lawmaking-bodies tym and agein, for wiđstanding wiđ manly stedfastness his inroads on đe ryghts ov đe folk. He has wiđheld for a long tym, after such unbandings, letting ođers be chyosen, hwearby đe lawmæking bodies, hwich kannot be fernaghted, have gôn to đe allimean folk, to æven đeir kraft among đem; hwylst đe Stæt lys wyd open to all đe i-fears ov onslaghts frum wiđout, and upheavels wiđin. He has soght to stop đe befolking-growth of đees stæts; to đat end hindering đe laws for inburghering ov outlanders; wiđholding letting in ođers, hwich wuld furđer đeir wanderings hiđer, and raising đe asks ov gaining new landholdings. He has hinderd đe meting out ov đe law by wiđholding his yea-saying to laws for setting up deeming-bodies. He has mæd deemers hang on his will aloan for đe span ov đeir ambts, and đe tæl and ayielding of their inkumst. He has set up a mengie ov new ambts, and sent hiđer swarms ov ambtsmen to harrow our folk and eat out đeir foodstuffs. He has kept among us, in tyms of frith, standing heers wiđout đe leav ov our lawmæking-bodies. He has undertæken to mæk đe weppend myghts unonhanging frum and abuv đe wald of the burghers. He has gotten togeđer wiđ ođers for to put us under a stewardry fremd to our groundlaw, and unaknowledchd by our laws; giving his leav to đeir setnesses ov so-kalld lawmæking: For harbering great bodies ov weppend troops among us: For schielding đem, by a schowhearing, frum bewreking for eny murders hwich đey schuld do to đe indwellers ov đees Stæts: For kutting off our handling ov goods wiđ all deals ov đe world: For burdening us wiđ skotts wiđout our yea-seying: For bereaving us meny a tym, ov đe foardeal ov fanding by hearers: For schipping us overseas to be deemd for scham-misdeeds: For fordoing đe free inglisch laws in a neighburing provins, setting up đearin a willkurly steerschip, and wydening its marches so as to mæk it a foarbysen, and fit tool for instelling đe sæm unhinderd onwald in đees colonies. For tæking away our freedumwrits, doing away wiđ our moast wurthful laws, and thuroghli forhwerving đe schæps ov our steerschip. For hanging up our own lawmæking bodies, and mæking đemselvs beklad with the myght to mæk laws for us in all falls hwatsoever. He has lost his ryght to onwald heer, by kyđing us wiđout his schielding and leading orlaw against us. He has plunderd our sees, harried our schors, burnt our touns, and wreckd đe lyvs ov our folk. He is at đis tym schipping over great heers ov outlandisch hyrlings to do đe works of death, wrecking, and tyranny, alredi begun wiđ happenings ov grisliness and underhandedness seldom matched in đe moast benyghted tyms, and wholly unwurđy đe Head ov an inlyghtend folkschip. He has bedwung our fellow-burghers taken fangen on đe hygh seas to bear wepens against đeir land, to bekum đe hangmen of đeir friends and bređren, or to fall đemselves by đeir hands. He has kindeld inlandisch uprysings amongst us, and has striven to bring on đe indwellers of our marchlands, đe heartless Indianisch wyldmen, hwoos known way of orlaw, is a bewilderd slaghtering ov all elds, kynds and standings. At every græd ov đees thrutchings we hav beseechd for lawfulness wiđ đe meekest words: Our meny beseechings hav been answerd only by meny a skæđ. A prins hwoos character is đus markd by every deed hwich may betoken a Tyrant, is unfit to be đe rykser ov a free folk. Nor hav we been wanting in aghting to our britisch bređren. We hav warnd đem from tym to tym of pusches by đeir lawmæking body to spread an unryghtful onwald over us. We hav mynded đem ov đe umstandnesses of our outwandering and settling heer. We have beseechd đeir inborn ryghtwysness and broadmyndedness, and we hav besworn đem by đe tys ov our schærd kinschip to forsæk đees myghtgrabs, hwich wuld break off our bands and togeđerness. Đey too hav been deaf to đe steven ov lawfulness and ov blood-kinschip. We must, đearfoar, bend in đe need, hwich kalls out our offschedding, and hold đem, as we hold đe rest ov mankynd, foes in orlaw, in frith friends. We, đearfoar, đe foarstanders ov đe Feròaned Stæts ov Americka, in allimean Congress, gađerd, beseeching đe hyghest deemer ov đe wurld for đe upryghtness ov our mynts, do, in đe næm, and by sway of đe good folk ov đees colonies, heavy-heartedly mæk known and kyđ, đat đees foròaned colonies ar, and ov ryght ought to be free and selfstanding stæts; đat đey ar loosd from all boundenness to đe britisch kroun, and đat all politickal tys between đem and đe stæt ov Greatbritten, ar and ought to be hoally broken off; and đat as free and selfstanding stæts, đey hav full myght to bear orlaw, mæk frith, plyght đeir troth, set up handling, and to do all ođer deeds and things hwich selfstanding stæts may ov ryght do. And for đe upholding ov đis kyđing, wiđ a steady belief in đe schielding ov godly forseeing, we pledg to each ođer our lyvs, our wealth and our holy ær.